Education ministry spokesperson Myriam Bamberg told Delano on Wednesday: “This expansion should indeed meet the urgent need of English classes expressed in the survey. For the moment, no additional location for such classes is in the pipeline.”

However, Bamberg added: “Expanding the school offer in order to respond to the different needs of our increasingly diverse student population will therefore remain a priority. Should there still be a growing demand for English speaking classes, additional offers will be put in place.”

The comments come nine months after Lycée Michel Lucius opened a primary section in Merl, teaching the British school curriculum and after the state opened an annexe for the Differdange international school in Esch-sur-Alzette. The highly-regarded Athénée also extended its English-language classes leading to the International Baccalaureate.

In September 2018, an English and German section will open in primary and secondary schools in Junglinster, and English and French sections will be created at the Lycée Mondorf-les-Bains. Both will follow the European school curriculum with the addition of Luxembourgish.

The rapid roll out of further English-language offers in such a short time was prompted by the results of a ministry survey carried out in 2013 and 2015 with several chambers of commerce and published in 2016. “The survey shows a consensus among employers and employees regarding the need for English classes on both levels of primary and secondary education,” Bamberg explained.

According to latest figures published by the education ministry, 13,159 young people were studying international programmes in schools in Luxembourg from 2016 to 2017.